Alain Desgagné received a First Prize from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec before continuing his studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. There, he completed both a master’s degree and a certificate under the renowned clarinetist Robert Marcellus.

He began his professional career in 1989 with the Victoria Symphony, and in 1996, he became principal clarinet of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was appointed associate principal clarinet of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, a position he still holds today.

Highly active on the international music scene, Alain has participated in numerous summer music festivals around the world, holding prestigious positions. For 15 years, he was on the faculty of the Marrowstone Music Festival in Washington State. He also served as principal clarinet of the National Orchestra of Italy in 2005, as well as with the New European Chamber Ensemble in Seattle. As a soloist, he has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

Currently, he is a faculty member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the PRISMA Festival in British Columbia, in addition to being an Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.